PromptPlus

# PromptPlus ## **MultiSelect<T>** [](https://www.nuget.org/packages/PromptPlus) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)

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A scrollable, filterable list of checkboxes where the user checks several items with Space and confirms the whole set with Enter.

MultiSelect<T> is the multiple-choice sibling of Select<T>: same list model, same grouping, filtering, and paging — but each row carries a checkbox and .Run() returns the whole array of checked items. It works with strings, enums, records, or your own types; it can group items under headers, filter as the user types, enforce a minimum/maximum number of picks, show extra info per row, and validate each check before it is accepted.

🔘 Need to pick exactly one item? Use the Select control — same list model, single answer.

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On this page

Sub-page	What you will find
Index (this page)	What it is, when to use it, first examples, the method map
Methods	Every fluent method — signature, parameters, defaults, and a snippet
Operations	Keyboard, checking, filtering, grouping, range, validation, history, view-only
Styles	The MultiSelectStyles regions and how to recolor them

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When to use it

Use MultiSelect<T> when…	Consider instead…
The user checks several options from a known set	—
The user picks exactly one option	Select
The data is tabular (multiple columns)	TableSelect
The data is hierarchical	TreeSelect
It is a yes/no or single-key answer	KeyPress / Confirm

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Minimal example

using PromptPlusLibrary;

var result = PromptPlus.Controls
    .MultiSelect<string>("Pick your toppings")
    .AddItems(["Cheese", "Mushrooms", "Onions", "Peppers"])
    .Run();

if (!result.IsAborted)
    PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine($"You chose: {string.Join(", ", result.Content)}");

• MultiSelect<string>("Pick your toppings") creates a checkbox list of strings. The type argument T is the item type.
• .AddItems([...]) fills the list; .AddItem(x) adds one at a time (and can pre-check it).
• .Run() renders the list and blocks until Enter (confirm) or Esc (abort), returning a ResultPrompt<T[]> — the array of checked items.

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Selecting from an enum

MultiSelect<T> reads enum members automatically — including [Display(Name = ..., Order = ...)] attributes for the label and ordering. No AddItems call needed:

enum Feature { Logging, Caching, Metrics, Tracing }

var features = PromptPlus.Controls.MultiSelect<Feature>("Enable features").Run();

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A richer example

using PromptPlusLibrary;

var cities = PromptPlus.Controls
    .MultiSelect<string>("Which cities?", "Type to filter")
    .AddGroupedItems("North America", ["Seattle", "Boston", "New York"])
    .AddGroupedItems("Asia",          ["Tokyo", "Singapore", "Shanghai"])
    .Filter(FilterMode.Contains)     // live filtering as the user types
    .Range(1, 3)                     // at least 1, at most 3
    .PageSize(5)                     // 5 rows visible at a time
    .Run();

This combines grouping (headers), filtering, paging, and a selection range — see Operations for how they behave together.

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Method map

Grouped by purpose. Full signatures and examples are on the Methods page.

Purpose	Methods
Add items	AddItem, AddItems, AddGroupedItem, AddGroupedItems, AddSeparator
Load from a source	Interaction, InteractionAsync
Item text & info	TextSelector, TextSelectorAsync, ExtraInfo, ExtraInfoAsync, HideTipGroup
Filtering & paging	Filter, PageSize
Initial value	Default, UseDefaultHistory, DefaultMatchBy
Selection range	Range
Validate each check	PredicateChecked, PredicateCheckedAsync
Read-only display	ViewOnly
Dynamic description	ChangeDescription, ChangeDescriptionAsync
History	EnableHistory
Appearance & behavior	Styles, Options
Run	Run

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Return value

MultiSelect<T> returns ResultPrompt<T[]> — the array of checked items.

Member	Meaning
.Content	The checked items as a T[] (an empty array if aborted or nothing checked)
.IsAborted	true when the user pressed Esc

var (picked, aborted) = PromptPlus.Controls
    .MultiSelect<string>("Toppings").AddItems(["Cheese", "Onions"]).Run();
if (!aborted)
    PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine($"{picked.Length} selected");

Unlike Select<T> (which returns a single T), MultiSelect<T> always returns an array — never null. Check .Content.Length to tell “confirmed nothing” from a real pick.

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See also

• Methods — the full fluent API
• Operations — keyboard, checking, filtering, grouping, range, validation
• Styles — recolor the list regions
• Select — single-choice sibling
• TableSelect · TreeSelect — tabular and hierarchical pickers

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